S-A agrees malaria research project

Sanofi-aventis and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) are to work together on Orthology Malaria – a project to research malaria treatments

Sanofi-aventis (S-A) and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) have signed an agreement to research malaria treatments.

The three-year research project agreement, called Orthology Malaria, aims to develop drug candidates from a set of S-A's compounds that have been selected for their potential activity against malaria parasites.

Each stage of the project will be evaluated by the S-A/MMV joint steering committee and assessed according to MMV's criteria for compound progression.

Dr Elias Zerhouni, president of global research and development at S-A, said: "Sanofi-aventis has a long standing history in the pursuit of novel anti-malarial compounds, which are essential to save the lives of more than 750,000 people annually.

"This new partnership will enable us to mobilise each organisation's expertise, resources and know-how to identify novel medicines for malaria patients."

As discussed in PME's interview with Gilles Lhernould, senior vice president corporate social responsibility at S-A, the company has previously worked with MMV to conduct a pharmocovigilance study in sub-Saharan Africa concerning the safety and efficacy of anti-malarial drug artesunate-amodaquine.